Title - ‘Hootie & The Blowfish’ (Atlantic)
Artist - Hootie & The Blowfish
Hootie's newest batch of songs in nearly five years does not quite meet my expectations, especially for an album that has been in production for a year. It sounds like Atlantic did not want to put much money into it, for it sounds a bit demo-ish. Don Was produced this album (replacing Don Gehman) and you can tell that he gave it a different sound than the previous CDs. The guitar has been turned up and the CD has a bit of a raw, live feel to it. Highlights include "Space", a driving, radio-friendly, Hootie classic. "Innocence", the first single, makes me wish I had a lighter to wave. "Tears Fall Down" is a powerful ballad and "When She's Gone" is quite excellent. "Little Darlin'" has a weird intro, but turns into a happy, quirky song with a rockabilly feel. "Go And Tell Him" is definitely meant to be live, and the hidden track, "Alright" is classic Hootie. The downfall of this album has got to be "Little Brother"; a reject of Darius Rucker's solo R&B effort!
Marcus Bright
www.AtlanticRecords.com
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